Celeriac and Halzelnut Soup

Celeriac. Must be THE ugliest vegetable I've ever seen. Just look at its knobbly and twisted surface; it's no wonder most people avoid it. But peel away (actually more like cut. it's got really thick skin) the outer layers, and you have a beautiful cream-coloured inside,that gives off a sweet nutty smell and flavour, a bit celery-like but much milder and without the fibrous texture.

Anyway, I picked this thing up because I like to get the odd vegetables at the Farmers' Markets. There's not much fun in getting something you can see in the supermarkets anyway, is there? When I don't know what to do with a new root vegetable, there are 2 fail-safe ways I usually turn to: roasting, or turning it into soup.

Celeriac and Hazelnut Soup
serves 2-4
Ingredients

1 medium celeriac, peeled and chopped

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, peeled and diced

small handful of hazelnuts, soaked overnight and skin-off

2 cups vegetable stock

about 1/3 cup whole milk (raw)

sea salt and black pepper to taste (about 1/2-1 tsp)

1 tbsp evoo + 1 tbsp butter

To serve

fresh parsley

couple of hazelnuts, lightly toasted

Method

1. Over medium heat, sweat the onions in the evoo and butter, till translucent

2. Add the celeriac, potato and hazelnuts, and saute for 5 min more.

3. Add the vegetable stock and seasoning, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes (depends how big you chopped the vegetables), or till they're all soft.

4. Remove from heat, and blend, adding in the milk till you get a smooth creamy consistency.

5. Meanwhile, lightly toast a couple of hazelnuts (skinless) over medium high heat in a dry pan.

6. Check soup to adjust the seasoning if necessary, before serving with the toasted hazelnuts and parsley for some freshness!

Garnish with the lightly toasted hazelnuts. (to both add crunch and to hint to the person drinking the soup that there's a secret ingredient inside!)

This soup is really velvety and smooth, with that mild, sweet nuttiness coming from both the celeriac and the hazelnuts. I just love that pretty cream colour too. Funny how a while ago I just said it's the ugliest vegetable ever.

By the way, I saw spinach at the Farmers' Market! Could it be...... spring is coming!

This is part of Weekend Herb Blogging.